TO accommodate the rising cost of living, consumers have begun to flock to “bundle” stores, where they can buy cheap pre-owned but well-made clothing re-branded as vintage clothing.

They do not need to spend a lot of money to deck out in style, with available branded clothes obtained by local entrepreneurs from overseas.

Part-time cashier Iman Ahmad, 24, said he started buying clothes at bundle stores since he graduated from school.

“They’re cheap and branded, and I’m happy I can get them. The economy is still not doing well and the cost of living is quite high.”

“Bundle clothes are a good alternative for people who want to reduce expenses. And some clothes still look brand new,” he said when met by The Malaysian Insight at a bundle store in Sungai Buloh, Selangor.

The Malaysian Insight found that bundle clothes could be bought for as low as RM6 for children’s clothes and RM10 for adults.

The clothes also attract the interest of professionals such as lecturer Dr Nurul Kharmila Abdullah, who looks for clothes with unique designs.

“They’re cheap. Sometimes I find rare items in good condition. I can use them for certain seasons (abroad) because I rarely use certain clothes, such as winter clothes. 

“Every piece of clothing that I bought had already been washed beforehand. I have no problem with used clothes. So far I haven’t found any dirty clothing,” she said.

The bundle shops also draw rare item collectors such as Adam Salleh, who works as a takaful and financial consultant.

“I’m not buying for the sake of the brand, but out of interest to collect. For example, there are some imported items that can’t be found in Malaysia, such as certain bags.”

He also does not worry about the cleanliness of the items as he is confident that traders had cleaned the used products before selling them.

“Often, they’ve already been cleaned and we can see how clean they are, so it’s not a problem,” he said.

Most of the used garments are imported by operators from developed countries such as Canada, the United States, Japan and Australia.

Entrepreneur Mohd Fairuz Mohd Faizul, 24, said the items are segregated by categories and pre-washed before being sold.

“Shirts from Japan are usually clean. But we will still wash them before selling them. 

“At our two store outlets, we will also double check (for dirt), all for customer satisfaction,” said Mohd Fairus, who runs the Jom Bundle store.

He saw an overwhelming response since the shop opened in Sungai Buloh in the middle of last year.

“These days, there is high demand for pre-owned items and sales are good. As not all of our products are used items, some still have their price tag,” he said.

Another trader, Alif Burhan, 24, said the quality of the products depends on luck as they buy them in bulk in sacks or containers.

“If our capital is big and we buy in bulk, the cost per clothing item can be in cents. But it’s all based on luck.”

“Sometimes we buy a sack and only 20% of the clothes are in good condition and saleable,” he said. – January 20, 2019.